Julian's whole excuse made Alex sick. What made it worse was the way the vampire clung to him, whispering that the hunters were standing there. As if he didn't know! Ug.
But he stayed silent. He kept his mouth shut, and he closed his eyes. If Percy was there, they wouldn't be hiding. Percy, in all his tiny glory, would have killed them with barely a thought to it. Then he would have turned away and walked home. Nothing would have affected him.
And as much as he loathed the though, Alex wished with everything he had, that Percy was there to save him.